Nongshim announced that its bottled water brand, Baeksansu, has received the Grand Gold award at the Monde Selection in Belgium for the fourth year in a row.
Founded in 1961, Monde Selection acts as a worldwide judge of consumer product quality.
An expert panel of over 80 individuals, such as chefs, sommeliers, and scientists, assesses submissions using a four-level rating system from Bronze to Grand Gold. This year, the institute praised the Korean mineral water for being a "crystal-clear and silky mineral refreshment.
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The company credited the recognition to the unique origin of the water and its strict production standards. Data from the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources indicates that Baeksansu comes from the crater lake located at the summit of Mount Baekdu. The water takes about 40 years to flow approximately 45 kilometers through volcanic rock to reach the Naeducheon spring, which results in thorough natural filtration.
To ensure the source remains pure, Nongshim employs a high-tech "smart factory" that oversees the whole production process, including extraction, packaging, and logistics. According to company representatives, this automated system is intended to prevent any chance of external contamination. The repeated Grand Gold awards highlight the unwavering quality of Baeksansu," stated a representative from Nongshim, noting that the company aims to establish the brand as a high-end product for both local and global markets.
In 2008, Nongshim secured the exclusive rights to use Naiducheon spring water for 30 years through a contract with the Chinese government for bottled water production. An stated, "Baekdusan is known for its high-quality underground water, which is considered one of the top three water sources worldwide, alongside the Alps in Europe and the Caucasus in Russia." He also mentioned, "The region surrounding Naiducheon has been untouched and pure, with no forest fires occurring in the past 60 years."
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In 2024, the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) conducted an analysis revealing that Naiducheon spring water, assessed using the chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) isotope method, likely originates from rain that descended on Baekdusan Cheonji. It is believed to have taken around 40 years to journey through 45 kilometers of subterranean protected rock layers.
This lengthy natural filtration process is regarded as one of the longest among bottled waters around the world and locally.
In this process, groundwater flows through layers of pumice, quartzite, obsidian, volcanic ash, volcanic rocks, basalt, and granite, effectively filtering out tiny impurities. Throughout this journey, it also absorbs a variety of minerals that are beneficial to the human body. Thanks to the well-preserved surrounding ecosystem, the water quality of Naiducheon remains consistently high throughout the year.
Nongshim carefully oversees the water quality from the Naiducheon source, employing only minimal filtration and sterilization without any chemical additives before making Baiksan.
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Throughout the entire process—from collecting the water to production, logistics, and shipping—no human hands come into contact with it. Every pipe in the factory is constructed from SUS316L grade stainless steel, which is approved for human use and can be used in medical implants. To clean the pipes, a uniquely designed rubber ball is employed, making it unnecessary to stop production for chemical cleaning.
Nongshim states that this plant is the sole bottled water facility in Asia with such technology. Due to this method, there is nearly no variation in mineral content between the original Naiducheon source water and the packaged Baiksan water products.